Both 'NCIS' Spinoffs Renewed at CBS

After NCIS star and executive producer Mark Harmon inked a new deal to return for a 17th season of the flagship drama, CBS has handed out 11th and sixth season renewals for spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

That all three series are returning could mark a sign of how little things may change for the network following the ouster of CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, with the veteran executive always typically having a say in both new and returning series.

"Both shows have been key pillars to the CBS schedule for several years," CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said Monday in a statement. "They offer heroic stories, big stars and have attracted a passionate, loyal fan base. We’re excited to have Chris [O'Donnell], LL [Cool J], Scott [Bakula] and these terrific casts back to bring more terrific NCIS stories to viewers in the U.S. and around the world."

NCIS: Los Angeles is one of just a handful of series to match or better its 18-49 ratings this season. The drama remains a fan favorite, as do stars LL Cool J, O'Donnell, Eric Christian Olsen and Daniela Ruah. What's more, CBS is using the spinoff's tenth season to stage a JAG reunion. In the meantime, speculation intensifies that NCIS: LA, a spinoff of JAG offshoot NCIS, could give birth to a new incarnation of JAG. Because CBS clearly (and smartly) loves its franchises.

As for NCIS: New Orleans, the Bakula-led spinoff has begun to show its age in its fifth season, as ratings have fallen more than 10 percent as it has proven less capable of succeeding without the NCIS flagship as its lead-in. Additionally, a number of behind-the-scenes issues prompted the firings of former showrunner Brad Kern and executive producer Adam Targum.

The three NCIS dramas — all produced in-house at CBS TV Studios — join a 2019-2020 broadcast slate at CBS that also includes the previously renewed Young Sheldon, Mom, Criminal Minds (for its final season), Blue Bloods and the rookies FBI, God Friended Me, The Neighborhood and Magnum P.I. Still to be determined are the futures of Bull, Hawaii Five-0, Instinct, Life in Pieces, Madam Secretary, MacGyver, Man With a Plan, SEAL Team, SWAT, The Code, Fam, Happy Together, Murphy Brown and The Red Line.